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Board sets August planning session to interview architects as timeline aims for July 2027 school occupancy
Summary
District staff presented design and construction timelines for proposed middle schools, recommending architect selection in August 2025 to meet a July 2027 occupancy target for a White House school; the board approved scheduling a planning session to hear architect presentations.
The Robertson County School Board on June 9 approved a motion to hold a planning session in August for architect presentations and discussion after staff presented a timeline that would target a July 2027 occupancy for a new White House school.
District staff, working with construction manager Hewlett Spencer, told the board that a well-planned middle-school project would require roughly four to five months of design and about 16 months of construction. The timeline in the packet showed an occupancy goal in July 2027, plus a month for move-in ahead of the school year.
Staff described site constraints in Springfield: the district has not identified an available, buildable parcel at Springfield High School and noted challenging topography and utility easements on candidate properties. Hewlett Spencer is conducting geotechnical testing on one prospective site in Springfield; the district allocated up to $16,000 for that testing.
On the White House side, staff said the back of the White House Heritage High School property on Pinson Road was the most feasible site and that a three-story footprint had been discussed for grade stacking. Staff suggested inviting five architects with a track record in school design to make 30-minute presentations, with Hewlett Spencer available to ask technical questions.
The board approved setting an August planning session to hear architect presentations and to move forward with selection planning. A board motion to set the meeting passed unanimously.
Board members discussed the cost trade-offs of duplicating a building design across sites versus site-specific site-work costs; staff said duplicating plans can save architect fees but that site work sometimes offsets those savings. The board asked staff to begin developing preliminary site plans and cost outlines to understand future capital needs.
No final contract or budget was approved at the June 9 meeting; the action authorized staff to schedule architect presentations and continue site testing and planning work.
